


Smother Me Slowly

by Clementines (LuckyLikesLemons), Matreysik



Category: Kpop - Fandom, Red Velvet (K-pop Band), Winner (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Idols, Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/M, Mentioned Other K-pop Artist(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:29:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 15,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25445437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyLikesLemons/pseuds/Clementines, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matreysik/pseuds/Matreysik
Summary: FF073: Irene has a reputation of being the Ice Queen and she hated it but didn't bother changing people's minds either. Mino has been admiring her ever since the SBS Gayo Daejun Super Rookie stage. Their groups had so much fun together and promised to keep in touch but inevitably lost contact after. Seeing each other again years later, he finally had the guts to pursue Irene, hoping that he was not too late to take his chance.
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Song Minho | Mino
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18
Collections: WINNER Spring/Summer Fic Fest 2020





	1. Prologue

****

December 2, 2018

It was a usual day.

A successful music show with confetti filling the sky, idols cheerfully telling the viewers goodbye, and a single artist branded as the winner of the week. Mino watches Jennie meekly smiling and bowing to the rest and he would have remained to congratulate her too, like always but he sees a particular female approaching Jennie with a warm embrace, and right away his body halts for a second or two, and his feet made a turn to it, joining the rest who are retreating backstage.

“Mino oppa!” He peered over his shoulders and saw his younger friend beckoning him to join her onstage. His eyes glanced briefly to the other female then back to Jennie. There was no reason to shy away. So, he returns with an unfazed smile, standing on Jennie’s other side. The instrumentals for ‘Solo,’ the song of the week, fill the room and they follow Jennie's dance steps precariously and enthusiastically. After the first chorus, the two guests simultaneously thought it would be the best time to finally give the stage to the owner of the trophy. Jennie turns to them with a grateful smile, warmly squeezing each of their hands, “thank you Mino oppa, Irene eonnie. You two are sweet as always!”

Side by side, they head backstage with short greetings to those they meet along the way except to each other.

“I never thought there’d be a day where we can dance together on the same stage again.” She finally breaks the silence with a casual tone to her voice. “How long has it been since that joint stage...”

“Four years,” He replies quicker than he should have and as they catch each other’s gaze, the female nods her head slowly; no hint of emotion spared beyond keeping it merely casual which he thought was fair after everything that has happened.

“Mhm, a time long gone. Well, I’ll see you around, Song Mino.” She waves a hand without even turning back.

“Irene Bae,” He lets her name roll his tongue and a wave of dull nostalgia fills him, which he quickly shoves away with a shrug of his shoulders. “A long time gone indeed.”


	2. Back in time

The year 2014 is finally ending and the music industry in South Korea has blossomed with numerous successful comebacks and distinct songs that shall remain in people's hearts throughout the year.

Some moments were bad, some were good and as December finally rolls in, culminations of the year through numerous broadcasted festivals which are very much awaited by everyone, are being prepared. SBS entertainment swore for nothing but extravagance.

One of the highlights of the show shall showcase four rookie monsters that dominated the music scene altogether in one big performance. The top companies were notified and YG, JYP, SM, and Woolim all agreed to gather their idol groups for the said event, sparing 5 days with brief hours for each to complete the whole performance.

News spread like wildfire, GOT7, Winner, Red Velvet, and Lovelyz are to perform together. Fans are anticipating the biggest collaboration of the year.

The idols are an array of emotions. Jackson, Mijoo, Seulgi, and Seunghoon were beyond elated to mingle with familiar faces. Jinwoo, Wendy, and Youngjae are nervous. The leaders like Jaebum, Seungyoon, Irene, and Baby Soul can already feel the responsibility weighing on their shoulders. Bambam, Yugyeom, and Sujeong are excited to make friends. Quiet members like Jin, Jinyoung, and Taehyun wonder how rowdy practices will be. Mino is frantic over the fact that he has to emcee such a huge show. The list went on.

Although with little worries pocketed to their hearts, more than ever, they were glad to be given the opportunity and they were all ready to do the one thing they wished since their rookie days: be on stage.


	3. Ice Princess

_ Let's all get along and do well.  _ It was an unspoken promise to all 21 rookie idols even before gathering around a spacious dancing studio. Sessions were short and they only had to meet up for five days so it was important for every practice to be efficient. But not everything goes according to plan. Hiccups may appear out of nowhere. For the rookies, however, a loud crash started it all.

When Winner members first entered the studio, they were surprised by the deafening silence that filled the room. Mino, curious and worried, approaches GOT7’s leader, Jaebum, to both greet him and ask what was wrong. “We just got here too, so I couldn’t grasp the situation yet.” He explains. In front of them, the females were huddled together as they watched two of the members from Red Velvet in a confrontation.

“Didn’t I tell you to be careful with this?” Irene voices out to her other member, Seulgi, whose head hangs low in embarrassment while her fingers fiddle to one another.

“Eonnie,” Sujeong, one of the youngest of Lovelyz members, approaches the two in an effort to calm them both. “Seulgi eonnie did not mean to do it, we were just playing around and– “

“Why don’t you mind your own business?” Irene sharply returns which made the latter’s team members slightly irked especially when Sujeong was only trying to help. But before anyone else could say something, Irene bears her sharp gaze around them, daring whoever wants to butt in. No one did. Irene storms towards the exit, making everyone step aside; careful not to block her way – all except for Mino.

The man had been further questioning how the situation has started when he felt a strong bump on his shoulder, causing him to be shoved to the side, when he looked at whose doing it was, he was momentarily fixated over the female’s cold gaze that studied him up and down before she left the place, letting the door slam back on its own.

“I wonder what’s wrong with her?” Seunghoon murmurs with a disapproving expression; his hand moving up to squeeze on Mino’s shoulder. “You okay?”

“I am,” Mino reassures the others while he turns to the door where she left.  _ Is she okay? That, I wonder. _

"It was my fault. I broke something important to Irene eonnie. We're not normally like this. I'm sorry." Seulgi explained and apologized for dampening the atmosphere right before they could even start any sort of practice. 

“If there is anyone who needs to apologize it’s the ice princess, not you.” Jiae from Lovelyz replied.

“Did you see us part like Moses' sea when she passed? What an Ice Princess.” Bambam of GOT7 whispers to his bestfriend, Yugyeom who had to sink his teeth to his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing at such a horrible moment.

_ Ice princess. _ The name grew easily among other idols and while this evoked awkwardness or hostility on the female in question, Mino couldn’t help but be more curious about her instead. While everyone busies themselves into finally getting acquainted with one another, he excuses himself for a bathroom break to find her.


	4. Snowfall

_ Don’t you look just like me? _ Irene casts her eyes on the gray clouds above and observes the soft snow slowly falling from it. Now that she is away from everyone else on this rooftop with nothing but a bench to sit on and the radio channel on her phone to accompany her, she finds herself slowly calming down from the earlier confrontation.

_ How will I return to the studio now?  _ She remembers all of their surprised gazes, and the anger she has inflicted on the other girl group members. Sighing heavily, she shuts her eyes and turns the radio’s volume up to drown away the thoughts that made her feel anxious.

Then comes a faint sound that she could barely hear through the spaces of her earphones. “Miss Irene? Miss Irene.” A tap on her shoulder snapped her back to reality. Almost as if on cue, her shoulders straighten, her chin lifts an inch higher and her eyes narrow to observe the sudden intrusion of her peaceful moment.

A tall figure with small eyes, capped head, silver chains dangling on his neck, a black loose shirt and baggy pants, stands before her. She is quick to realize that it was the same man she had unintentionally shoved earlier and the same man who raps Winner’s songs with his deep voice.  _ Song Mino, his name is Song Mino. _

The man’s eyes cast up to the misty clouds just for a moment before he turned his attention to the female again. Quickly, he fishes out a white pad from his pocket and hands it to her.

_ A heat pack _ , she realizes upon feeling the warmth seeping to her palm. “Thank you, but I don’t need it,” she reasons in a heartbeat as she takes her earphones off and attempts to hand the pack back.

“I insist. Otherwise, you can just throw it if it really is useless.”

_ Stubborn _ , Irene observes, however she doesn't really mind. Compared to the ones who run away, this is quite comforting. “If you insist. Thank you, Mino. Also, you need not to be so formal around me.”

“Really?” There is an evident spark of interest that can be seen from his eyes. “Then should I call you noona? Irene noona?” He lets the name roll off his tongue carefully and delicately.

She stiffly nodded and tore her gaze away.  _ What else is there to say? _ Irene has always hated to be in the presence of awkwardness and for some reason, it follows her way too often.

"What are you listening to?" He asks with a subtle point to the earphones now placed on her lap.

"A... love radio channel. The DJ is currently sharing a story sent to them." Irene dares to look up to him once more and is able to see a lopsided smile on his lips. "You think it's silly."

"I think it’s quite endearing." He counters without a second more, which showcased his honesty, leaving her mum again. His gaze flickers to the spot beside her before returning to her gaze, as if he was asking for permission and Irene frowns at his persistence, to which he only chuckles, "I promise not to be so annoying, noona."

There was something quite polarizing on how he calls her that – in a good way. Courteous or respectful is he, still, but there are this lightness and confidence in him that seemingly crumbles the walls of the typical ‘younger-older’ interactions. She merely nods while she wears the earphones once more.

He sits beside her, a third space of the bench in between, as he watches the snow falling as she did earlier. "Is the story interesting so far?"

"You said you won't be annoying," the female responded, watching the man from her peripheral vision.

Mino grins at her grumpiness as he raises both hands in defense, "I'm only asking."

She sighs exasperatedly, "It's about a girl debating if she should forgive his boyfriend after being cheated… twice."

His eyes widen at the unexpected tale; his attention easily taken away. "Twice?! Wow. How was she able to apologize him the first time –"

"The other girl, the one she's being cheated on, is her bestfriend," Irene added with a disapproving frown on her face, and bit by bit, she shares more of the details, while the younger male animatedly reacts beside her.

"What the fuck? That's horrible!"

"She's leaning on forgiving him... the third time."

"No, Mara, what are you doing! Does the radio tell their number? Give it to me, I’ll call Mara to snap out of it!”

'Shh, let's hear her out first. Here," Irene takes one part of her earphones and offers it to the male. "Would you like to listen to it with me?"

The man who has been thoroughly invested with the story just after a few minutes of retelling fills the space between them, his shoulder brushing on hers in the process, so they can listen together. He was ready to hear the conclusion of the infuriating tale and to rant over the protagonist’s ridiculous choices but upon plugging the earphone to his ear, instead of a radio drama, he heard an upbeat song and Adam Levine’s high-pitch singing to ‘Moves like Jagger’.

Utterly perplexed, he stares at the female. Irene couldn't take it anymore and she bursts into merry peals of laughter. "Oh my god, you should see your face right now!"

“Was that… did you make that all up?” Mino can only dumbfoundedly watch Irene laughing at the success of her prank, and instead of bursting and complaining to how his gullible self was preyed on once more, he ends up focusing on the delightful laughter that rings to his ears, watching how her eyes turn to crescents, and how she leans back to cover her pink lips.

The moment Irene debuted, people were quick to notice her striking beauty; the kind of aura and charm that can make any person halt and watch her,  _ but nothing would compare the beauty she exudes when she is happy. _

When he was able to get a grip of his senses, he gave the female a playful glare, "you sure have an angsty imagination. I should have known, I mean – where did the name Mara even come from? Psh."

There was mischief in her eyes even when she tried to remain poised. "Don't be grumpy now? It's not my fault you're a gullible one."

"Of course, the once being deceived will always be the one at fault." He cheekily shoots back and there goes her heart-tugging smile again. "Would you like your earphone back or may I listen with you?"

By the time he asks that the jolly song ends and the gentle voice of the female DJ fills them both and with eyes still locked on to each other, they find themselves quietly listening to what she has to say.

_ “We meet different people in a span of a lifetime and sometimes, we are bound to see them as based on our assumptions of them, rather than for who they really are. A friend of mine, who always had difficulty in feeling at ease with other people once told me this: I don’t really expect to come perfectly eye-to-eye with someone. In this life, with how fleeting and instant everything is, that’s almost like wishful thinking. I just want someone not to give up so easily on me. Just try, and I promise I’ll try too, so we can both meet half-way.” _

Irene tears her gaze away from Mino and clears her throat. It isn’t a stretch that they can both easily agree that the DJ’s message rings true to her too. Admittedly to herself, she was surprised how upfront he was of approaching her. Because it seems like most of the time, people stay away from her because it is easier that way and nobody has the time to sit long enough to know each other. In the same way, her flight response to any situation has grown stronger over the years too.

_ Meeting half-way.  _ The female lets her thumb graze over the warmth of the hot pack that he has given her and turns her head away. Shyness creeps to her face, making her cheeks feel warm.

"I don't mind sharing." Her response was barely a mumble but he heard her loud and clear.

It was definitely a good day to listen to songs together.


	5. Shards

That day, Irene took every courage in her to return to the practice room. She apologized to Sujeong, Seulgi, and everyone for disrupting the mood, and in the name of a peaceful practice, they all agreed to make up. However, as soon as the trainer arrived and practice had indeed started, the atmosphere was still – icy.

Especially with the girls. Even if they say they are okay, Irene has become terribly self-conscious. To her member that she snapped on to, to the other group that saw her ugliness and to the men who had seen her storm out. So here she is again, alone, on the rooftop, on the same bench right after their trainer tells them to have half an hour break.

It wasn’t for long when Song Mino appeared again. She isn’t even surprised anymore. “Are you sent here by them to become some kind of divine intervention for me?” Irene asks with a raised eyebrow while carefully watching the male take the space beside her once more.

“Nah, I’m just here because I want to make friends with you.”

“Friends?” Irene repeated skeptically.

He cocks his head to the side and does his usual playful grin. “Would you like me to skip that part?”

Her hand automatically slaps his arm; her cheeks warming up the slightest while he ends up laughing quietly to his own remark. “I actually came to give you this,” he shoves his hand to his sweater’s pocket and hands her one of his sandwiches. “You weren’t planning to skip lunch just for the sake of avoiding people, right?”

“You’d be surprised,” she shrugs and takes it with a hushed ‘thank you’, and together, they fill their stomachs while listening to songs once more by sharing Irene’s earphones. The female takes a glimpse just in time to see him opening his mouth and taking a very small bite out of it while closing his eyes. _Adorable,_ she thought while chuckling to herself.

Time felt like standstill once more as they merely hum along to the tune. It was definitely one of those rare moments when Irene finds herself enjoying the lingering silence without having to worry about what to say next.

Mino rests his head on the back of the bench, closing his eyes and letting snowfall on him and it took all of her not to take each white speck off of his face. “Does listening to these songs bore you?” She asks as she studies his long lashes, his full cheeks, and sharp jawline.

“No, I quite enjoy the songs. Most especially your company. No bullshit niceties or pretense. Just you at your rawest. I’m attracted to people like that.” His eyes flutter open and she jerks away, only realizing how she has leaned a tad closer to the male already.

“That’s a first.” She remarks, because most of the time, people would find her personality quite burdensome. “Anyways, it’s almost practice time, we should head back already.” She hastily adds.

“I’m ready to go whenever you are,” Mino responds as he returns her earphones with a thank you. She could see the hesitation from his expression as if he is debating over something. _Probably to ask what happened._

“I overheard you talking to your member, about being careful with something – what was it?” He finally asks with a tilted head to one side.

“You’re a nosy one, aren’t you?” Irene clicks her tongue; however, she still fishes a handkerchief from her pocket, unfolded it, and shows him the small shards of porcelain. "It was given by my mom. I bring it along like a lucky charm.”

"You bring it when you are nervous or anxious." He clarifies and she stiffly nods. Mino cups his hands and gestures for her to place it on his palm so he can study the pieces closely.

“I let Seulgi wear it but well – she can be hyper at times and so…" She explains and remembers how the said female along with Mijoo of Lovelyz was dancing along to an upbeat song and with one strong whip of her hair, it falls and shatters to pieces. Irene recalls Seulgi’s look while she apologized and could not help but feel guilty for snapping at her all of a sudden.

"Would you be okay if I borrow this for the night?" Mino speaks out; snapping her away from her wary thoughts. “I think I can fix it."

"Mino – it’s in pieces."

"Then there's no harm if I try fixing it, right?"

Irene sighs and stares at the pieces on his big hands. “Take good care of it, please.”

“I won’t disappoint,” he reassures.

The next day, the moment the Winner members arrive at the practice room, Mino quickly passes the other ladies with a curt bow and approaches the single female sitting at the corner of the room. “Still avoiding people?” he asks as he takes a seat beside her. Needless to say, they were being observed by most of the people in that room, but the two could care no less, especially Mino who is excited to show the other his hard work.

“I’m not. I just don’t know how to include myself besides greeting them, which is fine too.” Irene replies while she tugs on her hair tie, but the man reaches out to hold her wrist, tugging it gently and to her open palm, he places a whole rose porcelain hairpin on her hand.

Irene looks up to Mino, surprised to see the shards all back in one piece after a day. She can clearly see his tired features and the dark circles under his eyes. "Did you stay up for this?"

"Definitely not, I was watching an anime show all night." The light sarcasm in his voice made Irene narrow her eyes to which he chuckled in response. He takes the hairpin once more and gathers her hair above her ear and pinned the newly fixed rose there. "Hm, your mother has good taste. It suits you a lot. "

"Thank you." With the pin back to her again, she felt her mother’s courage and tenderness seeping to her and that there is no need to be afraid at all anymore. The lucky charm is back. Her fingers move to graze over the pin, to feel the lines of its pieces where they are glued meticulously together, then she sees Mino who seems like he couldn't breathe just watching her do it. "What are you mumbling at?"

"Glue, please keep sticking, glue, please keep sticking, glue, please keep sticking..."

She bursts out laughing again, enough for the others to hear, enough for them to turn around and see her lovely and sincere smile for the first time. "You're so silly, Song Mino."

Silly as he may be, he figured it was worth it. There was something about getting Irene to smile that's quite addictive and very pleasing to him. Happiness suits her. A sense of belonging suits her.

 _So, I won’t stop,_ he tells himself.


	6. Warm hands

The practice days have become easier for Irene. Thanks to her own members’ constant warmth that encircles her and to new friends who are brave enough to approach her too. Seunghoon asks her about certain dance steps, Baby Soul invites her to lunch, and Jackson is rambunctious and fun to everyone including her.

“This is your doing, isn’t it?” She asked Mino on their fourth day, early in the morning when the practice had not started yet. Snow is falling, her favorite spot has grown colder and now she wears Mino’s padded jacket after the male stubbornly insists on her doing so.

“What do you mean?” Mino asks, confused, and quite distracted as he stands before her and practices his lines as emcee for the upcoming event; the printed copy of his script that he had been carrying for the past three days now looks all wrinkly and overused.

“People. Befriending me.” She shortly says, almost close to a mutter, to which Mino finally tore his attention away from his script so he could crouch in front of her, and peer up to those delicate features that he longed to understand the moment he saw her storm out of that practice room.

“Irene noona, you are the type of person that people can’t help but be drawn to. Your interests, the way you handle yourself, what makes you laugh, your raw honesty, your affection for your closest ones, your passion for our career path – all of those are beautiful. You are beautiful. So honestly, there is no reason why people would not be attracted to you.” His words had her gobsmacked in surprise, considering as she merely expected sarcasm from him. Irene huffs in disbelief and of shyness, where her eyes quickly look away and her lips jut forward.

“You are adorable too.” He adds, now quite playfully. Seeing as he has already made himself vulnerable by stating his thoughts, he ultimately decided to go a little further. Mino takes her hand, squeezing the coldness gently away. “Don’t worry too much if people get intimidated by you. You don’t have to compromise who you are for strangers. You were upset the first time we all met. You apologized for it and they believed you. So, there is no need to be doubtful of yourself anymore.”

Irene did not say much anymore. How does one respond to something like that? She feels her cheek warming up and her heart racing. She figured it may be because of his hand holding her so she turns her head back to glare at Mino’s hand, and the male loosens his hold immediately.

“Now, where was I?” He flips his script to the next page, and Irene watches him trying to uplift the mood again, and how the tips of his ears redden too. Irene bites back a smile. Perhaps she’s not the only one feeling quite shy. “Ah, okay listen to how I deliver this! I’m about to rap while introducing Miss Ailee – oh shit, this is too cringe-worthy, help!”

She softly smiles at his antics, while her hand envelopes the one he just held, saving the traces of his warmth.


	7. Move along with me

The practice has been going well, and thanks to their dance teacher who remained loyal and unwavering to their schedule, they were finally at the last stretch of their performance.

"Now I didn't really tell you something at first, but there are a few seconds wherein some of you lads and ladies will be partnered with each other. I wanted to spot those with natural chemistry first before arranging the last choreography." The instructor says to the idols whose curiosity is piqued by this news. One by one they were sorted into pairs and placed on their positions for the second to the last part of their choreography, right before they came together for a final pose. The pairs were:

_ Seulgi and Jackson _

_ Wendy and Nam Taehyun _

_ Baby Soul and JB _

_ Jiae and Jinwoo _

_ Joy and Yugyeom _

_ Mijoo and Mark _

_ Kei and Youngjae _

_ Jin and Seunghoon _

_ Sujeong and Bambam _

_ Irene and Mino _

_ Yein, Jinyoung, and Seungyoon _

"And we meet again," Mino mutters as he now stands behind Red Velvet’s leader and now her appointed partner. "Tired of me yet?"

"Contrary to what you think, I'm glad I'm doing this with you," Irene mumbles back while tucking her hair behind her ear, the jaded pin still clipped to the side of her head.

"Don't flirt with me, noona. I'm weak when it comes to your advances." Irene scoffs and looks at him incredulously before they chuckle together quietly, making sure their trainer didn’t see them.

The routine was indeed short, and it only took 32 counts to complete. Just a little roll of the torso and the hips, a step closer, their gazes connected to each other, the slightest interaction as the females make a turn towards their partners, and the males respond to it, playfully, flirtatiously, just enough to stir the crowd.

For most of them, it was easy. They were, after all, trained for such things. Mino and Irene were no exception. He could so easily be all over her as he always had been since they started practicing together. She was quite apprehensive about such things, but he made her feel at ease and his personality kept things light. She didn't mind if it was him, and if she were a bit more honest with herself, she'd go as far as to say that she likes it. She likes having him around.

On the fifth day of their practice session, Mino was not able to attend due to reasons that he needed to record a performance of 'Born Hater' with his senior labelmates, Epik High.

The last day seemed achingly slow to Irene. When she returned to their usual rendezvous, the hidden bench on the rooftop, she didn’t even last long before she started shivering in the cold. She realized that she had grown quite accustomed to Mino's hot packs and big jackets that he never forgot to bring her.

She returned to the practice room, where for some reason, Taehyun and Wendy were being teased by the whole group. She fondly watched the whole commotion, and wished for December 21st to come as quickly as possible so that 2014's rookie members could be complete again.


	8. Like Jagger!

December 21, 2014

Mino is panicking.

He tries his best not to be too obvious of how his nervousness is getting the best of him, but no one is deceived.

"You should really calm down; you're making us all dizzy," Jinwoo says in their dressing room as he watches the younger male pace back and forth in his black and white checkered coat, a white polo beneath and black slack pants, his lips mutter relentlessly, his clammy hands clutching his cue cards.

"This festival is supposedly for us to enjoy too, you know. Oi!" Seunghoon places an arm over the frantic male, shaking his shoulders until Mino's eyes focus on his members.

"You'll be fine," Taehyun reassured while Seungyoon shot him a thumbs up.

Taking deep lungfuls of air, Mino finally settles down. "Thanks," he mutters and throws himself to his Seunghoon hyung who hugs him and pats his back encouragingly.

"Look on the bright side, you'll get to dance with Irene later on," Jinwoo added with the most casual tone and the purest gaze, and it made Seungyoon laugh boisterously.

"Of course, leave it to this hyung to be loud about it," the latter remarks.

Mino was about to return the teasing when a staff member finally called him. It's almost showtime.

He bids his members  goodbye and  walked along the hallway where he passed other idols along the way. Being the newest group of the year, he made sure to greet them all cordially until he met 4 more familiar females, all dressed in green and white cheerleading uniforms, with long sleeves and short skirts. He immediately feels more excited. It's only been 3 days since they last met and yet her presence sends a refreshing sensation to his tensed system all at once.

"Good luck, oppa!"

"Hwaiting!"

"You can do it!"

Seulgi, Wendy, and Joy all cheer for him, and he bows for the nth time, thanking them all.

When they finally move ahead, Irene stays behind just enough to adjust the black necktie that he is currently wearing. "How handsomely dressed you are today.” She remarks lightheartedly as her eyes take in the ear piercing, the gelled hair, the sharp look. “Good luck out there," she tells him with an encouraging squeeze on either side of his arms.

"Thank you, miss 43." He responds with a loud exhale to draw away his nerves, noting the big number sown in front of her top uniform, while barely moving upon having her this close.

"I'll see you on the dance floor!" She raised her gaze up to him and it was more than enough to have Mino catching his breath. She's beautiful.  _ Especially with that smile. _

"See you, noona."

It is finally showtime.

If there is anything he can take away from this experience, Mino learns, time and time again, that no matter what this industry throws at him, and no matter how it racks his nerves, when he is finally on stage, everything falls into place, and all he needs to give is his best, and every opportunity, he gives exactly that, if not more. Nothing fuels his life more than performing on stage.

SBS Gayo Daejun’s Super 5 starts the program with a performance from the appointed “Lucky boys,” namely, Infinite’s Myungsoo, B1A4’s Baro, 2PM’s Nickhun, CNBLUE’s Yonghwa, and the youngest and the most recent debut of them all – Winner’s Song Mino. Along with the lady of the night, dressed in lovely red, Song Jihyo, they welcome the audience and the TV viewers and without further ado, proceed to introduce the rookies for their next performance.

Mino runs around backstage, taking off his clothes and changing them to his gray pants and purple sweater to match aesthetically with his other members. He had managed to hop his way to 20 other idols huddled together for an encouraging cheer and join them with hands piled onto one another. To have this many groups in one collaboration is quite rare, all of them know this and with this cheer, they wanted to seal their promise to do well.

“After three, fighting!” Jackson excitedly instructed.

A loud cheer was heard after that, and onwards GOT7, went as they were the first to perform their debut song.

“Have fun,” Mino whispers behind Irene as he still tries to catch his breath. The female turns her head with a confident grin and a wink before heading out to perform ‘Happiness’ next. _Damn,_ _that switch when she’s on stage._ After Lovelyz, it was finally Winner’s time; there were some technical difficulties along the way, but they managed to push through. Empty resonated with the crowd all the same.

Finally, the joint stage starts, a whole song of Maroon 5’s Moves like Jagger was danced just like how they practiced, and it was one of the most fun moments to all rookies that night. They were all playful, energetic, and full of chemistry together.

Irene moves to the next position and Mino was there rolling in, and everything just feels easy and right. Just like how they have always been for each other.


	9. Aftermath

The three-hour-long preparation and event finally finished high and strong, and Mino, exhausted from wardrobe changes, running around backstage, and hosting, finds himself in front of Red Velvet's dressing room with a carefully held piece of paper. He was about to knock when the door opens right before him, with the whole team, staff members, the girls – everyone, looking at him. 

"I uh – sorry, wrong dressing room!" He sputters the words, making Joy and Wendy giggle. Who was he lying too? Everyone knows why he was there. With Seulgi's help, letting the others leave to give the dance partners some space, Mino was left facing Irene and those laser glaring eyes from her managers behind his back. He rubs his nape sheepishly and hands the folded paper. "A thank you for hearing me practice my hosting skills every lunch break."

Irene unfolds the paper and finds a caricature drawing of the two of them with their last pose, with the same costumes that they wore on the stage. "When did you even get to make this? It's so spot-on," she fondly muses as she traces the number 43 on her drawn version and the thick eyebrows of the 2D Song Mino.

"During other performances, when we were just sitting with the rest and I finally squeezed out my emcee nerves." 

"I love it. Thank you." Her front teeth sink to the bottom of her lower lip as she studies the details of his well-drawn art. In the paper, she's moving close to her and he meets her half-way with a little wave on the chest and it almost felt it was only seconds ago that they finished that move which reminded the lady of something else. "During our performance, you didn't look at me, like we promised, why?"

“I don't... particularly know.” The moment those words left his lips, the female narrows her eyes; obviously not buying it and he couldn’t help but make a silly disapproving face at how she has been better in seeing through him with just a span of a week of knowing each other. “This will sound sappy – but at that moment, I was suddenly immersed in the idea that things will have to change from hereon, right?”

“We can always stay in contact, though?” Irene replied, quite confused about the rather sad imagery that he has been having. Mino merely nodded his head and hung his head low which made her frown. She didn’t want the night to end like this. “Well, this has been fun.”

He steps to the side where she was about to pass, blocking her way and they gaze closely to each other, longer than the needed time during the dance routine, just like they promised. He studies her closely; her lovely features, from those honest eyes, to her slightly flushed cheeks, and down to her red lips. She's only a hair's breadth away and he was almost lost in the moment when suddenly, Irene dips her head and bumps her forehead gently to his chest.

"Stop playing hard to get and let's exchange contacts already," she expresses with a slight raise of her voice in the end, almost like a whine.

_ Adorable.  _ Clearing his throat and snapping away from his trance-like state, he offers her a smile. "Playing hard to get, with you? Irene Bae? Damn, I must be wrong in the head, if that's the case." He takes out his phone and easily adds her on Kakaotalk once she shares her number. "I'm sorry I was off. I always suck when it comes to goodbyes."

"No one said anything about goodbyes, really, Mino. We'll obviously see each other more often than you think." She bumps her head on to his chest again, but this time, her arms wrap around his middle, squeezing him to an embrace before she finally pulls away to head for the exit. “I’ll see you around.”

Mino smiles and watches her go. Her scent, her smile and her warmth filling his thoughts for the rest of the night.


	10. Whisper

It’s a brand-new year, and 2015 was the year for them to progress further and gradually leave their brandings as ‘rookies’. Red Velvet has huge plans for this year starting off with a comeback and an added member namely, Yeri, to their team. While Winner remains in the company, working endorsements and such with the highlight of Song Mino joining the famous hip-hop show called, ‘Show Me The Money 4 (SMTM4)’.

Whenever time permits, Irene and Mino remain in contact through SNS. With efforts on both ends, they have managed to grow closer and know each other through random texts, and occasional calls. Their chosen topics were of a wide range from dreams, work rants, political views whenever Irene babbles about a book she just finished reading and to the scientific phenomenon that Mino finds interesting. There were no signs of awkwardness for even when they are quiet and merely humming to one another, they were all lovely times shared.

”This has been nice. Remember, don’t let Black Nut’s taunting affect you. You’ve been doing well, just focus on yourself, hm?” Irene mumbles as she finds herself slowly falling asleep one time while they call each other. Mino had been showing obvious signs of frustration and stress from the competition he is in and Irene, who had been following the first few episodes of SMTM made sure to give the man a pep talk.

“It’s what I’ve always been trying to do.” She hears him sigh at the other end, stirring her from her impending sleep. “Anyways, thank you, noona.”

Irene rolls to her soft mattress and ponders over something that may cheer the man up. With her arms wrapped around her pillow, she replies, “call me Joohyun. It is my real name.”

There was silence from the other end, and she couldn’t help but tighten her arms around her pillow and bury her face to the softness of it. “Say something, Minho,” she adds using his real name too in a muffled voice, almost like a whine.

“If this is your way of cheering me up, then you have managed to do it, Joohyun. Joohyun. Joohyun.” His deep voice coupled with his fond chuckle had her heart racing and her face flushing in an instant. “Thank you, Joohyun.”

The last bits of wall between them easily crumble from that point on and once again, they move closer in attempts to meet half-way. Bit by bit. All have been good so far from that point on, but life has its dips at times and Mino has slowly fallen prey to it.

August 28, 2015

Song Mino bore his heart out for the final live episode of Show Me the Money. The past three months or so have been grueling with back-to-back schedules for the competition and for Winner’s schedules. Sleep was a luxury at that point, but after a long run, he is finally here, singing the hit song, ‘Okey Dokey’ with Zico and finishing his last performance with ‘Victim’ and ‘Cheers’.

In the end, the results are out and according to the votes, Song Mino – is the runner-up. Basick takes the trophy.


	11. Breathless

Right after the competition, everyone was egging him to join the after-party and Mino could barely hide how much he didn’t want to. For the most part, he was glad everything is finally over and even though he did not get to stand before the crowd as the season’s winner, he knew deep down that he gained so much because of what he has shown in the program and it will play a big advantage for him even to the years to come. His song, ‘Fear’ shall forever touch people’s hearts and will remain as the first proof that songs from that show can chart well and some would even contest that he deserves the 1st place. Above all, he has pushed the boundaries and visions of people in the hip-hop scene; that astoundingly good rappers can be found in idols too.

He should be content enough and yet a heavy lead still weighs his heart down. The bittersweet kind. _But I was so close. So close._

Through the neon lights and alcohol poured over many glasses, Mino joins everyone with a calm state. He wasn’t the kind of man to fake enthusiasm, but he wasn’t a sore loser as well. He congratulated Basick and joined them on stage as they performed their huge hits.

At around midnight, thinking it was the right time to excuse himself already, he finds a text message and several missed calls from Irene when he was about to call for his manager. He figured that she was going to congratulate him or comfort him, especially that she has been following each episode with much enthusiasm. However, Mino was alerted to see her sending a location around the Han river with a note that she will be waiting there.

The man trudges his way out of the club and quickly hails a cab while giving the female a call. He was relieved when she answered it after two rings. “Hey, I’m sorry I only got to check my phone now. Are you still at the address you sent me?”

_ ‘Mhm, but I feel uncomfortable here alone.’ _

“Yah!” He pauses as he says that out too loud out of worrying. He dips his head more and pulls the hood of his jacket more to cover his face, hoping the taxi driver hasn’t recognized him yet. With a hushed voice, he continues, “isn’t it quite dark there? Don’t wander around empty spots. It’s already midnight, it could be dangerous.”

_ ‘Then come here already, Minho!’ _

“I am. I am almost there so please be safe.”

_ ‘Don’t worry, I’ll go grab some food and find a brighter place. I’ll be safe. See you soon?’ _

“See you, Joohyun.” He mumbles ever so quietly. Having to call her name like that made him smile and while he still worries that she is out there alone, he realizes how thrilled he also is to meet her on such a bittersweet day. He hangs up and tells the driver to go a bit faster.

Ten minutes later, Mino has finally arrived at the promised location, somewhere along the Han river and he immediately sets out to find her. It was a quiet place and there was barely anyone around except for couples lounging about in distant locations. He looked up to one lamp post and was thankful to know that the play was safely lit with the usual orange light.

“Took you long enough.” Mino snaps his head back to the voice and finds himself staring at a hooded lady wearing red long-sleeves and a face mask covering half of her face. Her disguise is impeccable, but he’d know her in a heartbeat even if he's just looking at her eyes. She casually hands him a plastic bag where a piece of corn dog awaits him, much like the one she is holding on her other hand. “I bought it in case you were hungry. There are sodas there too.”

“This is such a surprise, aren’t you busy on your comeback preparations?” Mino asks as they sit down on a grassy plain while facing the calm river.

“You know why I am here,” Irene replies with a gentle nudge on his shoulder. With legs folded up, she hugs her knees as she watches the male pull out the corn dog to take a small bite out of it.

“Let me guess, are you here to comfort me about my defeat, and tell me I did well?” He asks as he munches and opens the cans of soda for them both.

“No, I’m here to rant over the fact that you should have won.” Ranting ahead is exactly what she did, with furrowed eyebrows and thorough reasons to back up her reasoning, she seriously relays all of them to the male who is left mystified to this sudden turn of events.

Irene was so immersed with it that her hands pressed on his thigh when even for a second, he reverted his attention to his food. “I bet they couldn’t make you win for the sake of not being branded as an idol-loving show. Right? Tell me I’m wrong, I dare you.”

Mino finally bursts out laughing for a good few seconds and once he has calmed down, he stares at the moon above and places his hand on hers that was on his lap. “Thank you. I don’t know why but seeing you so into it, made me feel better.”

“I was serious!” Irene scoffs and tugs her hand free from his gentle hold so she can cross her arms; grumpily staring at the river instead. She suddenly feels a soft graze to her hair, making her flinch but upon looking back, it was Mino gathering strands of her hair to study close.

“Light brown?” He muses and she only nods quietly. Ever since Gayo Daejun, they haven’t really met again to talk casually like this, and now that she has calmed down from her frustration over SMTM, she was finally free to observe him closely. She pulls her mask down from her face and for the first time, they smile at each other. “It’s good to see you again, Joohyun.”

“I’m happy to see you too.”

They took their time to catch up to each other and converse like how they usually do on the phone and when gray night clouds miraculously cleared to showcase the stars, they took the chance to lay on that field side by side to stare up to the heavens; their hands naturally found each other. Mino’s fingers slip between her digits and Irene squeezes his palm, loving the warmth that she feels from it.

“I’m sorry the show ended that way for you,” Irene mumbles as she absentmindedly traces her thumb on the back of his hand.

“It’s okay, the night surprisingly did not end sadly with you here.” He tore his gaze away from the heavens to look at her and she does the same.

“That’s kind of a stretch. I didn’t do much except babble around.”

“Your presence is more than enough.” He insists and as they lay there, he felt the same tugging feeling he had the last time they met. He felt dazed and drastically drawn to her and without really thinking, he leans in, cupping her cheek, brushing her lips with his, then pressing them for a lingering kiss.

For a moment she was frozen to her spot, catching her breath as she feels the warmth of his tiers. “Minho,” Irene whispers as she pulls away to lean her forehead to his instead, with her hand holding on to his wrist. “We can’t… we can’t do this.’

He got ahead of himself and upon realizing what he has done thanks to her words, he jerks himself away, sitting back up and eyes widening upon realizing what he has done. "I'm sorry, Joohyun, I don't know what got into me." He could feel his ears heating up, his heart beating rapidly against his ribcage while subtly hitting his forehead with his own knuckle.

“Hey, it’s okay.” She tells him, coaxing him not to be hard on himself. Irene tugs on his sleeve and Mino gingerly turns around to find her laying there with reddened cheeks and a dazed gaze, with the back of her hand pressed to her lips. “I would have – I would have done it first if you remained still.”

"Don’t tempt me, please,” he half-jokingly says with a grave sigh to himself as he runs a hand to his hair.

“It’s more of an invitation… or permission…”

Her small voice made him hold his breath and for a moment, they just gaze at each other deeply. “But you said –”

“I know what I said.” She cuts him off as she moves her hand to cover her eyes instead, her other hand still grips his sleeve.

_ We can’t do this. _ The reason is obvious enough. An idol’s life is tied to gossip and rumors. It’s too dangerous.

“Hey,” supporting himself with his forearm to her side, Mino pulls away from the hand that covers her face and he was about to apologize again when their eyes locked to each other he knew then and there that whatever he was feeling, Irene felt it too.

_ Yearning. _

Fluidly, languidly – her arms circle around his neck, bringing him on top of her while his arms prop on to the grass on either side of her. Their noses brush to one another while he tilts his head where their lips could fit perfectly to one another for a fervent kiss.

She responds to him in a heartbeat. Even when he tries his best not to crush her with his weight, her hands wander to his broad shoulders and to his back, pulling his warm body flush to hers.

Neither wanted to let go and when she raised her head up just to catch her breath, Mino held her chin with his fingers, tilting her head down so he could claim her lower lip, nipping and tugging it gently. A soft groan escapes her lips and her fingers raise up to his hood, curling locks of his hair, tugging them gently every time he deepens the kiss.

"Minho..." she calls his name breathlessly, sending a delightful shudder down his spine. She feels the tip of his tongue tracing the seam of her lips, causing her to grip his sleeve. 

They pull away and gaze into each other’s eyes. “You are so beautiful, Joohyun.” He whispers and she snuggles into his warmth, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

He may have not won the show but it had been a perfect day, after all.


	12. Deal Breaker

_Just when it seems as though everything is turning right and leading into some sort of happiness, life comes bearing more tests to endure._

The next day, Mino’s good mood was abruptly halted when a new dating scandal of a celebrity couple sweeps the country. He knew that checking out the article and viewing the comments would lead him no good, but he does it all the same. As expected, negativity flooded the articles and he would not be surprised if there are more on the couple’s SNS pages.

He sits there, in their shared living room along with his members while they remark how both scary and ridiculous people can be and it leads to Seunghoon bringing up how they should be careful when it comes to these things too.

To Mino, it felt like being reeled back from a very happy dream to face reality.

“Is it even worth it? To pursue a relationship with such consequences?” Seungyoon wonders loudly for the rest to hear.

Jinwoo looks around his silent members, surprised that no one had an answer to that conundrum. With a shrug, he replies, “I’m sure one day it’ll be worth it for us. We’re humans, after all. Just  – not right now.”

Mino thought about Irene, of how lovely she was with her reddened cheeks and gentle gaze. He thought of how soft her lips, her dizzying scent and couldn’t help but agree.


	13. Halt

“Hey.”

_ ‘Hey.’ _

Whether her tone indicates her lack of enthusiasm or hesitance, it was no surprise to Mino. It had been a week since the last time they met each other and along the days leading to this call, their messages were nothing but mere small talk and the current conversation remains the same.

“Minho about the kiss...” Despite the impending serious talk, he could not help a small smile still etched on his lips as she once again displays how upfront she can be, no matter what.  _ I have always been attracted to this side of yours, Joohyun. _

_ ‘After seeing the chaos of the recent scandal, I can’t – I can’t afford for that kiss to mean something and I’m not assuming that it does mean anything to you, really. It’s just that I’m only a year in this industry, you too, and I’m the leader, and  _ _ – _ _ ’ _

“Joohyun, hey, it’s okay.” He hushes her gently, knowing full well that she is succumbing to a rising panic. “I understand what you are trying to say and I agree. You know, I never want to be the reason for any harm inflicted on you. I don’t want you to feel stressed, or be pressured, drained. I only want what’s best for you.”

_ ‘And I, you, Minho.’ _

They basked in silence for a while, letting what this exchange means sink in _. _

_ ‘Do you remember Mara?’ _ She asks out of nowhere and Mino rolls to the side of his bed, staring at the darkness over his window.

“You mean the one who got cheated on twice in your made-up story?” She chuckles fondly as he vividly remembers the first time they got to talk to each other.

_ ‘Good times.’ _

“Yeah, good times.”

_ ‘We still can be friends, right?’ _

“Of course.”

_ ‘I should sleep soon. Good night, Mino.’ _

“Good night, noona.”

That night was the last time they communicated and all that was left from that point on were formal bows and greetings on music shows.


	14. At Present

Around three years later.

_ December 9, 2018 - Inkigayo Win,  _ Mino writes on the back of the polaroid photo he took with the dancers earlier. Even with the effects of a tiring day now seeping to his body, the satisfaction and happiness of ‘Fiance’s, win keeps him awake. Just like always, he remains in his dressing room, alone, for a few minutes to reflect and be thankful for another eventful day.

Sinking into his seat, he thought of the rap he wrote for his ‘thank you’ speech, and recalled the fans’ proud and supportive cheers; of the other groups that were there with him, and out of habit, he thought of  _ her.  _ How charismatic and confident she was on stage, how she seems to have grown a lot over the years, how beautiful she still is.

_ You got to snap out of it, man. _

Shaking his head, he got ready to leave the room when the door suddenly flew open to reveal a sobbing Irene.

He found himself alarmed and thoroughly surprised, and it took him a second or two to regain his senses and approach her, “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Inhaling sharply her head turns from one side to the other, “oh god, I’m in the wrong room, I’m sorry,” her heels turn to backtrack her steps; her hand grasping the doorknob already. 

"You don't have to go." He finally manages to say. His palm gently rests to her shoulder and where he could feel her trembling. "My staff members have left. No one is coming. You are safe here."

_ Safe. _

The way he said the word, soft and affirming, made her peek over her shoulder to where his hand rested. “I can leave if I make you uncomfortable. I’ll guard the door for you,” he suggests.

Irene sniffles and wiped away the tears staining her cheeks, “I don’t want to be alone, actually.” She mumbles and a big warm hand touch hers that was still holding the door. Mino locks it and leads her back to sit beside him on the leather couch.

“Here.” He hands her a red handkerchief and with red and tearful eyes, she hesitantly gazes up to the man. Immediately, his fingers curled tighter to the piece of cloth and it took all of him to stop himself from gathering her small frame to a comforting embrace for it was not his place to do so. “I didn’t blow my nose or wipe my sweat on it, I swear to god.”

She gives him a reprimanding look over his silliness, though they both know it was enough to feel a tad less awkward over this sudden situation. She accepts the handkerchief and dabs it on her cheeks gently; the scent of his perfume lingering on the fabric.

There was nothing but silence as Mino sent messages over to his manager, telling him he might take longer and to be patient with him while Irene tries to gather herself and cease the tears that still try to fall.

“Noona, did something serious happen?” He finally asks as he tilts his head down to look at the female whose eyes are glued to her hands. “Did anyone mess with you or  – ”

“No, nothing like that,” she quickly reassures as she plays with her fingers. “It’s just  – it’s hard to explain. ”

“Try me,” he calmly urges as he now leans his hand on the side of his head while his elbow props on his leg.

“It’s nothing, really, it’s just  – I’ve been feeling tired. Feeling exhausted. I wake up and the first thing I think about is going back to sleep.” She chuckles and flickers her gaze to him but he doesn’t smile no matter how seemingly simple-sounding she iterates her problem, which only encourages her to speak more. “I feel it’s not fair because everything is going right for Red Velvet. Promotions are going well and whenever I’m on stage, I still feel alive and feel the enthusiasm I always expect but when it’s done, everything is just… noisy. Earlier, it got too noisy, when they were just really talking about tomorrow’s schedule and onwards. Then when I went to the ladies’ room, I met one of the camerawomen of Inkigayo. She asked me for a photo, and I weakly said no, and she insisted. I… felt some sort of anger surging within me because I wanted privacy at the moment and she was pushing it, but I held it in and took the picture with her in the end, and the fact that I held it in and stood there smiling, made me angrier of myself because I usually know my boundaries but I just gave in… I felt bullied while she insisted and raised her camera, though I know that she meant no harm. Right after the moment she thanked me and told me she’s excited to brag about the photo to her friends, I… exploded. Here I am now. Look, I know it sounds  _ so  _ trivial...”

“It’s not.” He tells her so with utmost certainty while he places his hand on her trembling ones. “Trust me, it’s not. I think you are burned out and if you don’t do something about it, it will only get worse.”

“I never felt this overwhelmed before. Not this much.” She mumbles as she stares down at his slightly calloused hand on top of hers. “I… should tell management about this, right?”

“Mhm, but more than anything, I think you need a break. It doesn’t have to be a long one, even. Just a moment away from your busy lifestyle. I can reassure you it’s worth it.” His hand gently squeezes hers.

Irene slowly smiles and when a single tear escapes the corner of her eye again, Mino reaches with his free hand to wipe it away. “You will be okay, noona.”

“Are you some god now?” She jokingly says with a deep sigh and with smiles disappearing, she mumbles a wishful thought, “I wish you could take me away from here.”

Right after that, Irene’s phone buzzes from her pocket, and Mino’s own device begins to ring. The world needs them again but they remain still for a moment; the male considering her words.

“Let’s run away then. Will you be able to spare me the rest of your day?” Mino finally says.

She feels a sudden thrill in her system and her heart beats too fast and loud that she fears he’d hear it easily. It was crazy, risky, and probably a stupid thing to do, but the only word that leaves her lips is a strong, “yes.”


	15. Escapade

The plan is simple.

The two of them head to their respective dorms per usual, Irene tells her manager and the girls that she would stay overnight with a long-time friend, while Mino rents a car for them to use. Wearing the most convincing disguise she could come up with, Irene walks a block away from where she lives and enters the car that had the same details as he texted her. The moment the door closes beside her, they stare at each other through masks and hoods, eyes both wide in disbelief to such a spontaneous trip.

“You have five seconds to back out.” Mino says as he turns the ignition key, rendering the vehicle alive. “1… 2… 3… 4...”

The moment the man reaches ‘five’, Irene muffles her own scream with her hand. She screams to release her nervousness before nodding her head determinedly. “I’m not backing out. Let’s go!”

Mino had a place in mind, somewhere remote enough not to be known as much so long as he hides his blonde hair and for a long while, they just drive away with the radio playing along. The main plan was to go as far as possible from the city, and just spend time through whatever awaits them.

They drove enough for the tall buildings to turn to long tunnels, rice fields, and calm seas. They drove enough for their phone signals to die out and no one from Seoul could reach them anymore. Irene spends most of her time humming along with the song or staring at the passing scenes from her window. Mino does not push a conversation as well and merely focuses himself on driving. 

After two hours, they managed to find a small _Hanok,_ an ancestral house that was turned to a guest house which is managed by a lovely elderly woman. The layout forms a square space with an open courtyard in between and high gates for the sake of the guests’ privacy. Inside, there are two bedrooms, a cozy living room, and a clean bathroom. Irene stretches her limbs and looks over the tall tree inside the courtyard and to the afternoon skies and deeply inhales the fresh air.

“This place is beautiful.” She expresses once Mino was given the key and the caretaker leaves for the time being.

“I’m glad you like it. Come on, let’s go for a walk.” Mino waits for her by the gate with a smile and an outstretched hand and immediately, she holds him with her fingers interlacing with his, as they head out.

It was already quite late in the afternoon and with a remote place such as this, they were free to stroll around without anyone really recognizing them, however, they still wore caps and hoods along with their casual clothes just to be safe.

It has been three years since they have properly communicated and so while they wander alongside paddy fields, and to the temple and central park of the village, they naturally share about what they have missed in each other’s lives; about their families, the highs of their career paths, to the saddest moments in those three years and whenever it brought them back to their darkest days, a reassuring squeeze of each other’s hand was enough for them to come back at present time.

“You have grown a lot, Song Minho.” Irene naturally calls her by his real name as they manage to climb over a short cliff, where they can easily see the sun setting.

“Have I really?” He asks with a chuckle, quickly moving behind her so he could wrap his arms around her waist, making her squeal and giggle cheerfully.

“Yes, you have.” Irene has been studying his features up close and beyond his blonde hair, the tattoos that poke through his clothing, piercing on his ear and lip – his shoulders have broadened as if they have carried tumultuous amounts of achievements, lessons, experience burden, stress, and responsibilities. His eyes, sharp as ever, bear maturity and manliness but when he smiles, she could still see the child-like heart in him too. He had always been passionate and driven and it seems like all his hard work had been paying off. “I’m proud of you.” She sighs pleasingly to the warmth he emanates and finds herself easily leaning back to his shoulder.

“Joohyun,” he mumbles as they watch the sunset from there and the way she stiffens just by the call of her real name made him chuckle quietly. “It feels nice to call you that again.”

By the time they returned to their accommodation, they found the orange lights on in the courtyard, making the whole place look cozy and inviting. Dinner was also prepared by the caretaker and the freshly cooked meal tasted of home, just as they wanted. By leaving their phones off, it was quiet and nurturing. Only their conversation and laughter fill the place. When they are done cleaning up their table, Irene lies on the polished floor to watch the stars while Mino attempts to draw her with a notebook that he brought along.

“I still think this plan is crazy.” Irene murmurs as she tries to remain still. She could feel his eyes studying her while he sketches. Having his sole attention sends a warm fuzzy feeling around her stomach. “But I don’t regret it. Thank you for bringing me here,”

“I’m enjoying it too, really.” He replies as he leans down to tap on her foot which made the female twitch and giggle. She sits up to take the notebook he’s handing her and there she finds a version of herself, laying on the floor wearing a simple dress with her hair undone and flowing, made by him. “What do you think of this?”

“You draw so well. She’s a lot more beautiful than the model,” she enthuses while admiring the sketch.

“Please. That’s impossible,” he scoffs while rolling his eyes.

Grinning at his reaction while handing him back the sketch, she crawls closer to him so she can rest her head on his lap. Their gazes return to the stars once more while he absentmindedly strokes her hair with his fingers.

“How are you feeling?” He asks.

“I feel like I am being healed, really. It’s nice and quiet.” Her eyes flutter close and for a while, they relish the refreshing cold breeze that gently sweeps past them. She recalls the responsibilities awaiting her back in the city and it is as if the fear that had been eating her up slowly dissipates from her. He was right, stepping back for a breather even just for a short time was more than helpful. Especially with his presence near her. ”What happens after tomorrow?” 

The man hums as the pads of his thumbs roll to her temples, massaging her. “We’ll go home early, even before the sun rises, I’ll drop you off at your dorm, I’ll return the car, go back to my dorm, and then let’s see who wins the next music show.”

Not expecting that last bit, she chuckles quietly as she gazes up to him with a roll of her eyes. “You’re competitive as always,” Irene takes hold of his hands and she sits up to face him closely. “I meant us. Will we stop communicating like before?”

Mino blinked and was lost for words before he shortly replied, “it’s up to you.”

“Up to me?” She repeats with a small frown etched on her face, “so if I say I’m dropping you again tomorrow will you be okay with it?”

“Again? No one dropped anyone three years ago. We both agreed to it. But if that’s what you want for tomorrow, then I’ll respect that.” 

Irene could only look at him in disbelief, her heart shattering over the fact that he dares not to speak what’s in his mind at the moment and only pushes the whole decision to her.  _ What happened to the two of us meeting half-way?  _ With a loud sigh, she pushes herself to stand when the male reaches her hands again when she retracted them.

“I’m sorry, I was being a coward. Let me try again?” He eases her down until she sits back once more and with a deep inhale, he faces her head-on and more sincerely, “I want you in my life, Joohyun.” Once that was out, his lips couldn’t stop spilling what he had long been holding back. “More than I can probably express. For three years, you’re just there, at the back of my mind, and it took a lot of me to realize that all this time, I have been trying to look for that same connection that we had.”

He turns her hand and lets his cold fingers graze over her palm, “no one and nothing measured to you, and it must sound silly to cling at those days but I did and I still do. When you asked me what would happen to us when tomorrow comes, the first things my head asked were, do we remain friends? What are we right now to begin with?”

Without a response from her, he could only sigh in resignation; a hand messing his hair. A somber smile follows next as his eyes remain to the female basked under the silver moonlight. “I like you, Joohyun. I like you a lot and for a long time now, I couldn’t tell you because I didn’t want to be an inconvenience or a burden to you. You have so much on your plate already.”

“Minho, you have never been an inconvenience nor a burden to me.” She withdraws her hands from her grip and immediately covers her eyes when a sudden rush of emotions fill her and is daring to make her cry.

“I’m literally making you cry right now! I didn’t mean to overwhelm you. That’s not why we’re here. I just… I wanted to be honest with you. Whether or not we go separate ways again, it’s fine, you can just tell me-”

“I don’t want to go back to those three years!” She loudly says almost in an agonized whining tone. She softly sobs as her hands remain pressed to her face. “The only reason why I’m crying is because, over the years, I was so frustrated that you seem to always linger in me too. What did we even do back then that made you so special!” She playfully grumbles despite spilling her emotions over for the first time. “I like you too, Song Minho. More than you probably know.”

She slowly places her hands down to her lap, sniffling and facing him with tear-stained and flushed cheeks. Mino slides himself closer to her until their foreheads press to one another, their nose brushing gingerly. “Three years, three damn years.” She mumbles as she peers closely to his handsome features.

“Eyy, we can’t be too hard on ourselves. We were young and afraid to mess up.” He reasons as he tilts his head to kiss both of her cheeks which, for some reason, only made her tear up more.

“Are you still afraid of messing up?” She asks as her eyes close when she feels his hands on her waist and his lips brushing the slightest on hers.

“Messing up? Liking… no, loving you is the bravest thing I have ever done. It feels so right too, Joohyun. Are you afraid?”

“Not anymore.”

He kisses her  – earnestly, passionately. She dares not hold back for anyone’s sake as she returns the kiss lovingly, sincerely.


	16. Smothered

As the night deepens, the two of them have decided to go to bed early since they will have to leave even before dawn. Schedules will be piling up and promotions for their respective albums will continue as usual.

Mino, to say the least, has been feeling as if he is currently in a dream. There is this deep and unique kind of happiness that has been engulfing him after his intimate conversation with her. It feels beyond liberating to tell her how he feels and to have it returned.

"Minho?"

His eyes cast upwards to the direction of the bathroom and upon realizing that she must have finished showering already, he immediately turns his back on the female. "Sorry, I was placing extra sheets and a blanket on your bed."

"My bed? Where are you sleeping?" Irene closes the distance between them with a gentle tug on the ends of his sleeveless top. "I'm wearing a robe. It's okay to look."

True indeed, she stands before him, freshly showered and dressed with a white bathrobe. Mino clears his throat, making sure his thoughts would not stray so far. "There's another room. I figured you wanted your own bed, for privacy?"

"I don't want to sleep alone in this place." Tiptoeing, she nuzzles her face to the crook of his neck while her fingers still cling to the hem of his shirt. "Share the bed with me, hm?"

He tucks strands of her wet hair to her ears before wrapping his arms around her frame. "I'd never say no to that." He rocks them back and forth, calmly.

"I still feel like I'm dreaming," She hums as she leans her head back to gaze up at him just as he looks down on her beautiful face.

He smiles and nuzzles the tip of his nose to hers, before tilting his head to one side and capturing her lips to an earnest kiss to which she gladly responds to, her lashes fluttering as her eyes close. "Does it feel realer now?" He murmurs as his hand on her lower back gently pushes her body flush to his.

"I need more, and maybe I'll believe it." She cheekily replies as her hands move up to his nape, encouraging him and the male takes the chance to drop kisses on her neck while inhaling her sweet scent. 

His lips move along the curve of her neck, to her collarbones and when he finds a particular spot that has her inhaling sharply, he swirls the tip of his tongue there before pursing his lips to suck on that part.

"Mm…" She hums approvingly, as she turns her head to kiss the side of his face.

"How about now?" He asks once more with his low voice; a hand caressing her smooth leg that clings to his hip. Mino dares to press his hips forward to hers and she grazes her crotch back to him, making them both inhale deeply at the subtle sensation.

“Will you stop here if I say yes?” She murmurs as she nips along his jawline as her hands move to slip to trace her fingers to his spine.

“Am I allowed to do more?” He asks, peering down to her, they gently rock their hips together and she could feel the growing tent pressed on her. Biting her lower lip, Irene pushes him slightly enough for him to fall back on the mattress behind him, and as he sits there, watching her every move, she slowly unties the knot around her waist, letting loose of her robe until it falls on the floor, leaving her naked and vulnerable to no one else but him.

“You are allowed to do anything you want.” Her face reddens as she sees the way he takes the image of her from head to toe. A flame has been ignited on those sharp irises and she could see desire, love, lust, and admiration dancing on his features. Shy as she may seem to be, she loves how she is able to render him speechless. As Mino backs himself to the center of the bed, he leads her to straddle him too.

His hands explore the smoothness of her fair skin, from the curves of her waist to the legs that are spread apart as she sits on his lap, and back up to her back. “You’re so beautiful.” He mumbles, mesmerized over the woman he has long yearned for. His big hands cup her perky mounds with his thumb caressing the undersides and she shudders just by the touch.

He does not hesitate anymore from that point on. He squeezes and kneads the softness of her bosom. With his tongue on her left and thumb on the right, he circles around her rosy buds before parting his lips to taste her there, flicking his tongue and suckling right after, while the other is pinched and tweaked by his deft fingers.

Irene arches her back, giving herself more to him while her hands clutch on to his shoulders, soft sighs and groans fill their shared room. She sinks herself to his groin, circling and grinding on her growing bulge, “let me touch you too, let me feel you, mmh...” she whimpers as he nibbles to her nubs. “Minho...”

“Okay, okay,” he obediently pulls away with a handsome grin that quickens her pulse so easily. He takes his shirt off of him and they shift together so he could pull the rest of his lower clothing.

“You take my breath away,” she breathlessly expresses as he lays his back on the bed, and she, on top of him. Her fingertips and tender lips graze the lines of his inked tattoos intimately, tracing the years they have lost for each other, and the warmth of her core settle along his length, she grinds on to him, making his breathing short and erratic.

They bask in each other touch and kisses, raising their libido in every second being all over each other. "Joohyun..." the call of her name had her weakening when he cups her face to his warm palm, his thumb traces her lower lip and she sighs, nipping to his skin lightly. He is pulling her back for another kiss. Nothing mattered for a moment, except him, how they move against hers, how he led her so well.

Without any notice, he flips their position with her back now on the mattress. Suddenly, he becomes more passionate as he moves her lips down to the valley of her breasts, to her flat stomach. With everything he's doing, it all pools down to her lower regions where her legs fidgets and rub against each other. Her hand curls to the sheets as he remains relentless on his advances. He further goes south, trailing his mouth to her abdomen, nipping and biting enough to have her body flinching and jerking. 

“I want to taste you,” he tells her eagerly, and with a reddening face and eyes seemingly glued to his, she finds herself faltering and strongly coaxed. With his guidance, she spreads her legs and places them over his tattooed shoulders. His head sinks between her legs and she could feel him biting and marking her on her inner thigh. Her hips rose up in response, almost out of impatience.

“Minho, please,” she wants him to explore her, to taste her already, and suddenly, she could feel him nudging her clit with his nose and his tongue lapping her core. Her hips buckle in immediate reaction and his hands suddenly pin her waist down so he could control the pace instead, making her whine.

“So wet for me,” he groans and traces his tongue between her folds this time, teasing her entrance with the repeated flicking of his tongue. He nibbles on her folds and suckles to the center of it before finally entering her with his tongue.

Irene has lost all sense of control on her body, blistering moans and call of his name fill their room. She feels her exploring her walls relentlessly and immediately the heels of her feet dig to his back as and her hand grips to his blonde hair, tugging and pushing his face closest to her womanhood. “Take me, Minho. I can no longer wait, aah” She mewls when he lifts his head up to work on her clit, sucking on to it and sending her shuddering weakly for him.

There was a strong tightening around her abdomen, like a knot needed to be released. Irene gasps as he presses on to her clit while he sucks her wetness roughly. It wasn't long before she's grinding to his face despite his hands holding her down. “I’m close, so close, baby please,” Her voice rises and finally Mino crawls up, hovering on top of her.

Her heart leaps at the sight of his gaze, dark and yearning for her. “Kiss me,” she whispers, bringing her down with arms to his sturdy body and legs hooking to his hips.

With elbows propped on either side of his hair to support himself, he kisses her red-tainted lips. Mino strokes himself with one hand and it was then when she felt his tip grazing to her wetness once more, up and down, before it settled to her entrance, slowly pushing into her. Still stimulated from earlier, she buckles her hips upwards to meet him. Her moans muffled by his tongue exploring her cavern and her fingers digging to his broad shoulders when he continues to fill her.

“Does it hurt?” He asks and she smiles briefly at his concern. The female shakes her head and gives him a lingering kiss, reassuring him.

“You’ve prepared me more than enough.”

The tightness had him reeling, his mind clouded with lust. Mino's size had Irene whimpering in bliss and it took some time until he was fully inside, filling her to the very brim. One shift from the male and she squirms and tightens around him, which makes him moan loudly. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

Barely having enough restraint to start moving. starts rolling and thrusting mildly which makes her gasp and cling on to him even more. "You're so big, mh, it feels so good." Irene was lost to pure ecstasy and lust as she responded to Mino's thrust to her own grinding. Her clit grazes to his skin and she whines in delight. “It’s okay to move, I’m okay.”

So he does so, moving his hips in short and quick strokes, letting the constant friction heighten surge of pleasure from their crotches. He watches her in every shuddering gasp when he thrusts deeper into her, whispering sweet notes to her ears that only made her urge for him to probe her faster. “Fuck me, fuck me, baby.” She groans against his lips.

It feels good, beyond good, and with just a little shift to the direction of his strokes, she cries out in bliss when he grazes on her sensitive spot. "Minho...right there!" she threw her head back and Mino took the chance to explore her neck with kisses. He'd nibble and suckle on places her breathing hitches, when his mouth explored her soft mounds once more her back arches and she wraps her legs around him, succumbing to his lead, begging to be spoiled by the man himself and he gives it to her. Raining her with the affection that he had been holding back all these years. "I love you," he whispers against her heated skin.

Those three words were more than enough to push her to her limit. He brings his face up to her, kissing him full on the mouth. “I love you too. So much.” Irene cries out in pleasure as he grazes on that sensitive spot over and over. Their foreheads press each other and with one more thrust, she reaches her high, her body tightening and stiffening for a second or two before she falls apart, trembling as he pursues his advances while riding her high.

It did not take long before Mino finally pulled out and Irene wraps her hand around his thick length, stroking him. “Come for me, baby” she urges and Mino jerks his hips buries his face to the crook of her neck until he, too, comes entirely to her touch. A low husky moan spills from his lips and Irene holds him close, loving how his body quivers to her doing.

Mino rolls to her side, panting just like her. He pulls her close and Irene, breathless and sweating as she is, snuggles to his warmth. “Does it still feel like a dream?”

She smiles and tilts his head up to rain soft kisses on his cheek. “I feel so alive right now with you, there is no way this is a dream.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”


	17. One more time

The slightest buzz of her phone placed on the bedside table stirs the male awake out of habit. Heavy lids open to look around the orange-lit room until they settle towards the sleeping female who has rolled sideways with her back facing him.. Shifting quietly, he draws the blanket to cover their bare bodies up to their shoulders, and places an arm around her waist, spooning her.

Irene stirs too and reaches out to her phone to check the time.  _ Three in the morning. _ She returns the phone and eagerly presses her back more to his warmth. “We should start preparing...” She could barely finish her sentence as her consciousness succumbs to sleep some more.

He hears her and with a small smile, he lifts his head to perfectly fit on the curve of her neck, taking in the sweet scent of her shampoo, while his arm squeezes her gently. His hand absentmindedly caress her abdomen, tracing the dip and rise of her waist and down to her milky thighs.

“Good morning,” he whispers with a soft nip on her lobe. The gentle caresses and squeezes on her body gradually pull her away from dreamland just the slightest, and when she turns her head to his direction, his lips find her.

She presses up to him more and could feel him brushing her legs. Irene sinks her teeth to her bottom lip and muffles her soft moan when his lips trace the side of her neck. “Mino I'm too sleepy to move,” she explains as he guides her leg backward to hang on to his. His hand wanders between her legs, stroking her there. She inhales sharply and clutches her pillow. She could feel his digits move between her folds, tracing the line of her slit and up to circle around her clit.

"You don't have to do anything. Let me please you, Joohyun." He mumbles and leans in to kiss her once more, tongue grazing to hers. Irene opens her eyes a little barely registering anything but her head nods, trusting her body to him. 

He took his time adoring every inch of her with smooth and slow touches, careful not to drive her half-sleeping body in surprise. When her wetness coated his digits enough, two of those slip through her tightness, grazing around her walls.

Her arm underneath her body curls up so his hand can cup her breasts along with his stroking southwards. Irene buries her face to the pillow, biting on it to muffle her own moans. She could feel him all over her body, warming and waking her up and soon enough, she was slowly moving along to his pace, bringing her smoothly close to her high.

"Oh my god… mhng…" she groans as he curls his fingers inside of her, and probes that specific spot just like last night, and her legs snap close. Her thighs tighten around his hand and her hips buckle repeatedly until she mewls when she comes.

Tugging his hand free from her grip, he delves his fingers to his mouth, tasting her wetness. “Addictive,” he remarks, and underneath the blanket, he positions himself to enter her core with his manhood from behind. Still not over from her orgasm, Irene gasps as she feels Mino expanding her pulsating walls and stimulating her all over again.

His thrusts were long and deep, pulling out to his very tip and pushing all the way back into her tightness, repeatedly, needily and it drove Irene to such a blissful state. As he quickens his pace, he gradually becomes rougher, and it's just like how she wants considering she has gone beyond an orgasm. “Don’t stop, please don’t stop.” She tells him in sharp gasps.

"I'm so close, Joohyun." He groans, his breath hot against her skin. His fingers return to her clit pressing on to it and she shudders and tightens in command, just like how he likes it. Mino moans and holds her body firmly to his as he penetrates her some more. She cries out and finally releases the second time around just in time for him to pull out when he reaches his high too.

They remain in that position as they catch their breaths, soon enough, both of their alarms start to ring and they groan at the awful loud sound.

"We need to go home." He whispers.

"Ten more minutes." She responds and shifts to finally face him and hug him; eyes closing shut.

_ Let the world wait. _


	18. Home

"Today is beautiful." She hums along to the song playing on his phone as she looks over the car window, where the sun slowly peeks over the passing green pastures. On his side, the overview of Seoul city remains busy and bustling. Approximately an hour from now, they will be returning home and life shall resume from yesterday.

Her hand moves up to his nape; her thumb massaging over his sore spots while she asks, "feeling sleepy?"

"Nah, grandma's coffee jolted me awake, to be honest. I'm not even sure if I can sleep later at night," he replies, mentioning the caretaker of that guest house and they both laugh upon recalling the bitter taste of that morning drink she offered.

Their conversation remains light and casual, as they continue to drive home. The simplicity of the situation made it more special. For the time being, the two of them are normal people, no eyes follow them and they are free to be unforgivingly themselves.

At least until they reach her apartment building.

"This is it." Irene sighs as she peers through the tinted glass before turning to him. "Listen, schedules might be too crazy so if I can't contact as much…"

"Hey, hey, it's okay." He hushes her as he rests his palm on her cheek. "I will never ask for much from you. I understand. Right now, it is more than enough for me that we have allowed ourselves to be honest with our emotions and to feel it too."

"How wise of you, dongsaeng." She teases softly as she leans to his touch. "Thank you."

For a long moment, they just stare at each other; a million words spoken within their locked gazes. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she leans in to kiss him one last time for the day and responds to it, softly and lovingly.

Their foreheads press to one another, and whispers of those three precious words were exchanged.

Finally, she wears her small disguise and exits the car. Straight ahead, until she reaches her dormitory.

Mino, upon receiving a text that she has arrived safely, goes his own way too.

They are finally  _ home. _


	19. Spotlight

Days, months, and years roll by. Their busy lives continue to roll through, never-stopping, never-ceasing. 

Her group continues to remain relevant and extremely popular both locally and internationally. Brands and magazines bow to her name and with varying themes in every music comeback, she further improves in every attempt. 

He dominates the stage as always, his group strives to improve, he strengthens his name in the household through his variety works and continues to evolve his brand day by day.

_ What keeps you going? _ Interviewers would often ask.

He has a lot to say, and every time he ends his response, her name remains unspoken, kept preciously only for him.

_ What do you think about dating? _ They'd ask that frequently too and she tells them everyone deserves to love. Including her.

Another day ends, and before succumbing to sleep, they call and tell each other all the things that may not be relayed to mere quick glances and stolen smiles.

For now, this is enough. They are happy and full.

"Good night." She tells him and waves a hand through the camera on her phone.

"Mhm, I love you." He replies with a silly smile on his lips.

"I love you too." She tells him so.

END.


End file.
